I was filled with excitement as I watched the helicopter land. I climbed aboard and adrenaline began pumping through my veins and then…suddenly…we were off the ground! As we rose higher and higher into the sky, I couldn’t help but enjoy the feeling of freedom and awe of the miraculous beauty below. For the first time in my life, I was able to see Raystown Lake just the way the bald eagles which inhabit the area do. What a view!

As we flew, I became speechless taking in all that mother-nature had to offer me on that bright and sunny autumn day. Our 30 minute tour provided by pilot and owner of Pine Bottom Aviation Services, Dan Lipko, showed us many unique features of the Raystown Lake area. We saw Trough Creek State Park, Seven Points Marina, and Lake Raystown Resort to name a few. The leaves on the trees were so magnificent and I felt blessed to be in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania!

Pine Bottom Aviation Services offers aerial tours of the Raystown Lake area in a unique and memorable way. Flights may accommodate up to 3 passengers depending on weights. Pilot and owner, Dan Lipko, has 20+ years’ experience as a helicopter pilot. He is very knowledgeable of the area and offers a fantastic experience you will never forget! For more information on Pine Bottom Aviation Services visit PineBottomAviation.com. For pricing or to book your tour, contact Dan at (814) 793-4548 or dan@pinebottomaviation.com.

We have a guest post today. Gray Wagner’s article first appeared in the 2015 Huntingdon County Visitors Guide…

We met in college – from different parts of the same state. We grew affection for Central Pennsylvania and each other through our involvement in the outdoors club. We made great friends, who after graduation dispersed around the country and world, though mostly in the Mid-Atlantic United States. We have family all over Pennsylvania – her brother, his wife, and their two daughters live outside Philadelphia; my grandparents recently downsized from my dad’s childhood home to a continuing care retirement community near Raystown Lake; her favorite aunt lives in Pittsburgh with her partner; my parents live in State College; and so on.

A couple of years ago, we were able to get together with our college friends for DirtFest, an awesome mountain bike festival held in May at Raystown Lake. Little did she know that, during a rest to take in the view from our favorite overlook, I would drop to one knee and offer her a ring! Luckily for me, she accepted, and that evening’s concert turned into our engagement party!

Fast forward a year and we’re sitting in our favorite Philly brewpub talking to the bartender about life, beer, and other topics. We mentioned that we’re planning a wedding, and we got engaged at Raystown Lake. Then he pours us a beer sample, saying “try this.” We taste it…delicious beer with notes of coffee, and just the right amount of bitterness for our palettes. He says, “we made this with coffee beans from Standing Stone Coffee Company in Huntingdon, and our hops come from a farm there…small world!” As it turned out, we had met the hops farmer during our DirtFest weekend… Really small world!

Over the next couple of weeks, things kept reminding us about Raystown…a call from Grandma, a local magazine article, a friend’s photo in our newsfeed… Then it hit us – We should get married at Raystown! When that decision was made, it was amazing how quickly things fell into place. My parents hosted the rehearsal dinner at Mimi’s Restaurant & Martini Bar. Remember the hops farmer? We got married on his farm! Grandma recommended a great caterer for the reception, and we used an incredible local photographer.

It was also amazing how many of our family and friends decided to stay a couple of extra days to enjoy the area while there to celebrate with us. Our college friends (many of whom were in the wedding), rented a houseboat for the week, and threw the perfect bachelor party on the water one night, and two nights later, a fun bachelorette party. The favorite Aunt brought her kayaks and floated down the Juniata River. My brother-in-law to be rented a vacation home for the family, and took the kids to ride the rails at Rockhill Trolley Museum, explore Lincoln Caverns, and blow-off some steam at Slinky Action Zone. Pap and Grandma took my bride’s grandparents to hike at Trough Creek State Park, then cruise the lake on the Proud Mary Showboat.

Weddings are usually all about the couple getting married. Our wedding was about a great Raystown vacation (Raycation, if you will) for generations of our newly combined family and friends, and creating memories of a place that’s special to us. We wouldn’t have it any other way!

Like this:

Destination weddings, which are essentially getaways that combine both the wedding and honeymoon, are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to traditional weddings.

Wedding at the Gazebo at Lake Raystown Resort. Photo by Lisa Rhinehart.

There are many reasons why more and more couples are choosing destination weddings.

They have family all across the country (or world) and most guests will need to travel regardless of where the wedding is located.

They yearn for a more intimate gathering. The guest list of a destination wedding is typically smaller, which allows a couple to indulge in extra luxuries for closest friends and family.

They are looking for something unique as this is a second marriage – or they are renewing their wedding vows.

They want to save themselves the money (and stress) associated with planning a large wedding and they would prefer to elope somewhere picturesque and relaxing.

For couples desiring a spectacular and memorable destination wedding experience, the Raystown Region may be the perfect spot. The area offers dozens of locations for both indoor and outdoor weddings and receptions as well as countless choices for romantic honeymoon accommodations.

For example, weddings are a specialty at the elegant Lake Raystown Resort, Lodge and Conference Center, which overlooks beautiful Raystown Lake – known as the crown jewel of Pennsylvania. With multiple indoor and outdoor ceremony and reception sites and a variety of lodging options for the wedding party and guests, the resort is a popular place where marriages begin, or are rekindled.

The C. Barton McCann School of Art, situated on 250 pristine acres between Huntingdon and State College, is a unique event venue that boasts one of central Pennsylvania’s most spectacular backdrops. The soon-to-be bride and groom may choose from five indoor or outdoor facilities with several different configurations to suit their needs.

Other popular wedding sites in the Raystown Region include Hawn’s Overlook at the Raystown Lake Recreation Area, the Huntingdon Country Club, Lincoln Caverns and Whisper Rocks, Seven Points Marina and the Stone Valley Recreation Area.

For more information on these destinations and more, visit www.Raystown.org and click the “plan a wedding” link.

Location, location, location! On the road less traveled in the Raystown Lake Region, nestled amongst the Allegheny Mountains; you can hold your event overlooking a pristine lake, a vast valley or peaceful & tranquil forest. Available all seasons of the year: spring, summer, fall, winter or any holiday. Now is the perfect time to schedule your fabulous wedding, indescribable family reunion, church or family retreat, quilters, scrapbook, art or writer’s club, tea party, red hat meeting, fishing or hunting expedition. Our beautiful Raystown region, with its awesome natural backdrop is a perfect venue for a spectacular wedding, also small groups, bridal parties, bachelor party, fellowship, planning committees, office retreat or social ride on your motorcycle.

Have you thought about renewal of your wedding vows? Make it a big splash celebration! There are accommodations & photo opportunities galore, with the amazing natural backdrop of the trees, waterfalls, creeks, lake or ponds. Our area is spacious, with limitless beauty of the valleys, mountains, visions of fields of grain, assorted crops, and forests; with a profusion of plants, flora and fauna in groves & glens.

Take the time…take the road less traveled and hold your next event amongst our scenic byways. Come, hear, see and experience the perfect place that can host your next great vacation, union or reunion.

Photo by Lisa Rhinehart.

About the Author: Lydia Lane and her husband Bruce are the proprietors of two accommodations in Todd, PA and have hosted many unions and reunions on their 146 acre homestead.

Like this:

Featured Exhibition:
The JV Re-Creation Project is a creative performance designed to celebrate the arts and encourage environmentally sustainable practices. For this project, students and faculty members from the campuses of the Juniata Valley School District and Juniata College came together in the spring of 2012 to explore local sources and personal gifts. These sources and gifts informed the participants’ re-creations in the form of sculpture, poetry, dance, film, vocal and percussive performance, photography, storytelling and fashion. Participants performed in early April on both the high school and the college campuses, promoting a celebration of cultures, introspection, and service. In addition to highlighting our local farming and hunting cultures, the Re-Creation Project 2012 expanded the audience’s cultural experience by featuring the music, stories and dress of The Gambia, West Africa. All proceeds supported the Juniata College club, Power Up Gambia, organized to raise funds to purchase solar panels and technical training for Gambian hospitals without electricity. All in all, the JV Re-Creation Project served to enrich participants and audiences alike.

If you or someone you know is engaged, celebrating a milestone anniversary, family or class reunion, bring them out on Sunday to the Blair County Convention Center for the Best Bridal Event. The Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau will be there with our brand-new visitors guide, local artist, Leah Davis Dell of Vintage Art Glass and the Foxy Grape Bead Shop. We’ll help you locate facilities in the region that are just-right for your big day and in your price range, places for you and your guests to stay, and will also help you to identify some very talented individuals that can help you with all of your wedding needs from photography to flowers, harpists to caricature artists, and more. Some of our favorites will be there with their own booths also!

It doesn’t matter to us whether you are planning a wedding, a reunion, or an anniversary celebration. We’ll be happy to meet you and your needs!

Destination weddings, which are essentially getaways that combine both the wedding and honeymoon, are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to traditional weddings.

There are many reasons why more and more couples are choosing destination weddings.

They have family all across the country (or world) and most guests will need to travel regardless of where the wedding is located.

They yearn for a more intimate gathering. The guest list of a destination wedding is typically smaller, which allows a couple to indulge in extra luxuries for closest friends and family.

They are looking for something unique as this is a second marriage – or they are renewing their wedding vows.

They want to save themselves the money (and stress) associated with planning a large wedding and they would prefer to elope somewhere picturesque and relaxing.

For couples desiring a spectacular and memorable destination wedding experience, the Raystown Region may be the perfect spot. The area offers dozens of locations for both indoor and outdoor weddings and receptions as well as countless choices for romantic honeymoon accommodations.

For example, weddings are a specialty at the elegant Lake Raystown Resort, Lodge and Conference Center, which overlooks beautiful Raystown Lake – known as the crown jewel of Pennsylvania. With multiple indoor and outdoor ceremony and reception sites and a variety of lodging options for the wedding party and guests, the resort is a popular place where marriages begin, or are rekindled.

The C. Barton McCann School of Art, situated on 250 pristine acres between Huntingdon and State College, is a unique event venue that boasts one of central Pennsylvania’s most spectacular backdrops. The soon-to-be bride and groom may choose from five indoor or outdoor facilities with several different configurations to suit their needs.